Generally, an anxiety disorder can be treated by means of medication and/or psychotherapy. Your choice of treatment depends upon the specific problem and your own preferences. Before you begin with treatment, you must be thoroughly evaluated by a doctor in order to identify if your symptoms are brought about by a specific anxiety disorder or any physical problem. If you are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, the specific type or combination should be determined, along with any coexisting conditions like depression or perhaps substance abuse. In some instances, alcoholism, depression, or other underlying conditions have massive impacts on a person that anxiety treatments should be delayed until you have the coexisting conditions under control.
People suffering from an anxiety disorder who got to receive treatment must divulge to their doctor the treatment in precise detail. If medicines were involved, they must indicate the specific drugs they have taken, the exact dosage during the beginning of such treatment, whether such dosage had been modified along the treatment process, every side effect if any, and if the treatment undergone had been helpful in decreasing anxiety. If psychotherapy was involved, patients should indicate the specific type, how many sessions they have gone to, and whether such therapy had been effective.
A lot of times, individuals think that treatment was a failure, or that the treatment was useless when, actually, not enough time was given to it or it was done improperly. Before people can conclude that one treatment works, they should engage themselves in different treatments or combinations of treatment first.
Medication cannot cure anxiety disorders, but it keeps them under control as an individual undergoes psychotherapy. Any medicine should have a doctor’s prescription. Your doctor is usually a psychologist who can provide psychotherapy all by himself, or he can work with other psychologists, social workers, or counselors. The main medicines that are efficient in anxiety treatments include antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and beta-blockers to have certain physical symptoms under control. With the right and timely treatment, patients who are diagnosed with anxiety disorders can still live normal, happy lives.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is helpful in treating anxiety disorders. Cognitive therapy aids in altering the perception patterns of a person which cause fears, while behavioral therapy aids in altering the way a person reacts to anxiety-inducing situations. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy aids people suffering from a panic disorder, so they would not confuse panic attacks with heart attacks, and it helps patients with social phobia learn certain ways in overcoming the thinking that other people are constantly watching or judging them. When patients are up for confrontation of their fears, exposure therapy is used in desensitizing themselves to circumstances that cause anxiety.